


Run Back 2 U

by pylador19



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: But Markhyuck ya know??, Fluff, I'm so bored guys, M/M, and i apologise in advance, this is probably really bad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-08
Updated: 2020-04-08
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:35:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23545498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pylador19/pseuds/pylador19
Summary: Donghyuck sees him every morning on his travels to school. They take the same subway line, always stand approximately four seats apart and get off at the same stop. When Donghyuck gets onto the escalator, the other guy is already halfway up. Whilst Donghyuck has to wait to cross the street, the guy has already crossed and carries on walking. Their similarities end when Donghyuck turns in the direction of his school and the guy carries on walking ahead to his.That is how their “routine” goes.That is how their “routine” has been for half of the school year.It’s driving his friends crazy.
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Comments: 11
Kudos: 147





	Run Back 2 U

**Author's Note:**

> Did ya girl write this because she had a chest infection and her doctor said to stay home and isolate for a week 'cause her immune system is weak as sh*t? Oh yes! But never fear, I am feeling much better! 
> 
> Was this partially inspired by the fact that ya girl found her old DVD's of the High School Musical series? I spent an afternoon binging and cringing and it was the best/worst afternoon of my existence so far. 
> 
> Did ya girl name this after her favourite NCT song, but it has absolutely nothing to do with the actual plot of this? I nearly cried when I found out that it was going to be an actual song on an actual NCT album. 
> 
> Please note: I am not from a basketball crazed country, but it is legit the only sport I could imagine Mark and Lucas playing. I also do not live in a major city with an underground/subway system. Do not be surprised by my lack of knowledge on both matters. 
> 
> (Also: this is rated teen and up purely because there's a bit of swearing in this... and I don't want my mum to be disappointed in me...)

Donghyuck sees him every morning on his travels to school. They take the same subway line, always stand approximately four seats apart and get off at the same stop. When Donghyuck gets onto the escalator, the other guy is already halfway up. Whilst Donghyuck has to wait to cross the street, the guy has already crossed and carries on walking. Their similarities end when Donghyuck turns in the direction of his school and the guy carries on walking ahead to his. 

That is how their “routine” goes. 

That is how their “routine” has been for half of the school year. 

It’s driving his friends crazy. 

“Have you tried talking to him yet?” Renjun asks at lunchtime on this particular day, ignoring the way Donghyuck chokes on his food and Jeno starts to frantically slap his back. 

“What the fuck?” he rasps. “Are you trying… to kill me?”.

Renjun recoils when Donghyuck tries to chuck a soggy tissue at him in revenge, slapping his arm and pushing his chair back as far as he could go. “What? You talk about him every single day. I just thought you’d spoken to your little crush already!”. 

To this, Donghyuck laughs and chucks another wet tissue which lands perfectly on Renjun’s forehead (“You’re a fucking jerk Donghyuck”), going back to his lunch. “This isn’t some silly crush, I can promise you guys that now”. 

A moment of silence passes the table before his friends start throwing protests towards him. 

“What? It isn’t a crush! He’s just a guy who happens to share the same routine as me” Donghyuck protests. 

“Not a crush my ass” Jaemin replies, “How many times have we had to sit through you comparing his eyes to dark caramel or sweet hazel?” 

In Donghyuck’s defence, the guy really did have nice eyes. He definitely did not find this out one morning when they were both on the escalator and Donghyuck had accidentally made eye contact with him. 

“Or the fact that for half a year you’ve never shut up about him once” Renjun adds. 

“Okay, okay… maybe I talk about him a bit too much for everyone’s liking. He never acknowledges me, how am I gonna talk to a guy who barely knows of my existence?” 

“How about- and this is a radical idea- you just strike up a random conversation with him one morning?” Jeno suggests with a shrug of his shoulders. 

“Yeah, but definitely do not be yourself. You’ll scare the poor boy away and he’ll never talk to you” Jaemin adds, causing the three of them to laugh. 

“You’re all asses and I’m revoking your friendship cards” Donghyuck states, getting up from the table and walking away, ignoring his friends calls to come back and finish his lunch. 

The next morning had seen a slight change to Donghyuck’s routine. For starters, the guy wasn’t in the same subway cart as him this morning and wasn’t standing in his usual spot. When Donghyuck took the escalator, the guy wasn’t in front of him. When Donghyuck waited to cross the road, the guy wasn’t ahead of him. So caught up in what could’ve happened, Donghyuck didn’t hear the sound of someone running behind him until the guy jumped out in front of him, jogging backwards to face him. 

“I’ve been winning for months and I’m not about to lose now” he says, “Have a good day, see you tomorrow!” 

With that, the guy turns around and carries on jogging, leaving Donghyuck momentarily stunned before he bursts out laughing. He was definitely wearing trainers on his journey tomorrow. 

“Damn, you’re really whipped for him” Jaemin comments when Donghyuck recounts his tale to his friends. Donghyuck completely ignores the way he screams when he pinches his arm as hard as he can.

That evening Donghyuck is waiting on the platform listening to whatever his Spotify playlist could conjure up. He spots some movement from the corner of his eye and when he glances over, the guy is standing there. The platform is relatively empty and Donghyuck tries his best to not freak out over how close they are to each other. 

When the train eventually arrives, Donghyuck rushes into the cart and takes the nearest seat he could find. To his horror, the guy sits nearby, much closer than he usually would for that matter. When Donghyuck dares to spare a glance his way, the guy is looking straight at him… and he’s grinning at him. Donghyuck doesn’t know why, but the grin is infectious, and he finds himself smiling back, almost laughing! Despite the fact the fact that neither say a word to each other the entire ride, the mere fact that the guy had finally acknowledged Donghyuck’s existence was enough to have him skipping back to his place. 

“What are you guys doing here?” he asks, walking up to his front door and finding Doyoung and Ten- his brother’s best friends- waiting outside. His brother went to some fancy arts school and had somehow managed to make friends who were pretty decent. 

“Taeyong sprained his ankle during dance practice today” Doyoung explained, by Donghyuck could tell that something else was wrong as well. 

“And?” 

Doyoung and Ten briefly glance at each other, reluctant to say anything, until Ten finally sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Johnny broke up with Taeyong this morning, by text. Taeyong pushed himself too hard during practice to take his mind off of it and that’s how he ended up spraining his ankle.” 

Oh boy. The whole family was in for it tonight. 

Taking a deep breath in, Donghyuck braved the music and slowly entered his house. 

The next morning has Donghyuck fighting to not fall asleep during the subway ride. Taeyong had kept him up most of the night with his crying, and his mum didn’t really appreciate it when Donghyuck barged into his room at two in the morning yelling at him to shut up. 

That didn’t mean that Donghyuck had forgotten his objective for the morning. Waiting to cross the road, he smiled to himself when he saw the guy already ahead of him. When he’s finally across, he waits a few seconds before he starts sprinting towards the guy. The guy is so caught up on whatever was on his phone, that he doesn’t hear Donghyuck run up to him until Donghyuck races in front of him. 

“Try beating me today sucker!” he shouts back and carries on running, hearing the guy laugh loudly before running after him. The guy is fast and Donghyuck is pretty sure he looks like a red tomato because of how fast he’s running, but it’s all worth it when he finally turns in the direction of the school and faces the guy making an ‘L’ sign on his forehead. 

“Pretty sure you cheated!” the guy calls to him. 

“All’s fair in love and war!” Donghyuck shouts back, “See you tomorrow!” 

Jaemin’s waiting for him with an amused look on his face. “Finally chatting to your lover boy? Do I smell love in the air at last?” 

“Ha, ha very funny” Donghyuck replies, jumping onto Jaemin’s back and letting himself be carried through the school gates. “At least I’ve got balls to talk to my crush, unlike somebody here!” 

“Are you doing this? Really?” Jaemin asks in exasperation, letting go of Donghyuck.   
“I’ll even tease you in front of him” Donghyuck promises. 

“Truce?” 

Jaemin sticks out his hand out and Donghyuck pauses for a second before shaking it. 

“Truce.” 

Donghyuck attempts to jump onto Jaemin’s back again, but he gets pushed off and falls flat on his ass instead. Jaemin nearly wets himself from laughing so much. 

The court is full of people who have come to support the home team. Donghyuck hates just how loud the atmosphere is and is pretty sure some people do not know how to use deodorant. He really had no choice though. He had to come and watch the game, or he would be the worst friend on the planet. 

“You guys are coming to watch the game later, right?” Jeno had asked that morning and whilst Renjun and Jaemin agreed, Donghyuck had sat there completely perplexed. 

“Game?” 

“Yeah. The semi-final? The one you promised you’d come to see ‘cause you didn’t come to the previous match?” 

“Oh.” 

His friends had stared at him, expecting him to back out like he did last time. Biting back a sigh, Donghyuck agreed to come watch and that was why he was in this horrible position right now.   
The away team runs onto the court and a chorus of boo’s ring out from the home supporters. Except Renjun, who spots his boyfriend and waves excitedly to him, earning a few glares from others around them. 

“Fraternising with the enemy. Disgusting” Jaemin teases, but Renjun ignores him as Lucas smiles widely and waves back. 

Donghyuck goes to fake gag at the scene in front of him, but then a certain someone catches his eye and he grabs both of his friends in shock. 

“It’s him. Guys, it’s him!” he exclaims. 

“It’s who?” Jaemin asks, fighting out of Donghyuck’s grasp to avoid his skin being pinched any further.

“Him. The guy from the subway!” 

“Wait. Mark is your stupid crush?” Renjun asks and both Donghyuck and Jaemin stare at him in shock. 

“You know him?” Jaemin asks. 

“Of course I do! He’s one of Lucas’ best friends!” 

It takes ten seconds for it all to sink in before Donghyuck is slapping Renjun on the arm. “You knew about him all this time and never told me?” 

“Well you didn’t exactly give the greatest description of him!” 

Their mini quarrel is broken up by the arrival of the home team and cheers ring around the court. 

“Oh well, there’s always next year Jeno” Donghyuck says as Jaemin pats him on the back. 

“I know, but I feel sorry for the seniors who are graduating this year. I wanted to win it for them” Jeno replies dejectedly, wincing when Renjun finally returns with a makeshift ice pack and places it on his increasingly swelling lip. 

“I still think that asshole should have been kicked off the court for elbowing you in lip” Jaemin says grumpily. “Was the ref blind or something? That was clearly a foul!” 

“Sorry about that, Minho does tend to get a bit over competitive. Especially ‘cause it’s his final year” a voice says behind them. When the group look around, spot Lucas walking towards them. 

“And that is my cue to leave” Donghyuck says, “Don’t wanna be stuck here for the gross love fest.”

“Oh Donghyuck, always the best friend we love and adore” Renjun replies with a role of his eyes as Donghyuck salutes his friends and makes his way to the subway. 

Once safely on the train and sat in a seat, Donghyuck messaged his mum to let her know he was on his way. Despite the fact that he was growing up, in her eyes he was still her little baby. 

“Donghyuck?” 

Donghyuck looks up at the mention of his name and nearly has a heart attack when he sees the guy- no Mark- sat across from him. 

“Don’t look so scared. Renjun told me your name after the game. I didn’t know you knew him and Lucas.”   
“Seriously considering revoking our friendship card but yes, unfortunately I am friends with the lovebirds” Donghyuck replies solemnly.

“Tell me about it. They just never know when to get a room.” 

Finally somebody else understood what Donghyuck was constantly going through! For the rest of their journey, Donghyuck was surprised at just how easy it was to talk to Mark. He felt like he had known him for ages, rather than just talking to him from this moment. When they had to get off at their stop, Mark was all too relieved to finally get home and rest, but Donghyuck didn’t want this moment to end. 

“Should I prepare for another race tomorrow morning?” Mark asks as they exit the subway. 

“Maybe not, sweating and looking like a tomato do not make me look attractive” Donghyuck sighs, relishing in the way his lame joke makes Mark laugh. “For you, I’ll consider it. See you tomorrow Mark!” 

“Shit.”

Donghyuck’s stood under the entrance of the subway watching the rain pour down in front of him. His mum had warned him to take a coat in case it rained, but of course Donghyuck hadn’t listened and trusted the weather app on his phone again. His parents were still at work. Taeyong couldn’t come pick him up because of his ankle. He was screwed. 

“Need some help?” a familiar voice asks and when Donghyuck glances over, Mark is there pulling an umbrella out of his bag. 

“You live nowhere near me.” 

“So? The rain doesn’t look like it’s gonna let up anytime soon, and you’ll get drenched if you try to walk home in this. Come on.” 

Donghyuck hesitates before finally getting under the umbrella. During the walk home, he tries to stay as far from Mark as he can, but Mark pulls him closer so that their hands almost touch. It would be so easy for Donghyuck to reach out and take Mark’s hand in his, but he immediately shakes that thought out his head. Sure, he liked Mark, but he had no idea if Mark liked him back or even if he was gay. 

When they finally reach his house, Donghyuck says a quick goodbye and rushes to the door, slamming it shut and sliding down against it, completely ignoring the weird looks Taeyong is giving him from the living room. 

Donghyuck is stood at the entrance of the subway looking at the crowds of people in the middle of a commotion. 

“Something wrong with the system. Most of the trains are cancelled” Mark tells him and, sighing, Donghyuck messages his parents in hopes of getting a ride home. 

“Great. I’m stuck here until at least six” he groans and an idea pops into Mark’s head. 

“Come on, let’s go grab something to eat.”

“Really?” 

“Yeah. None of the buses in the city are gonna drop us anywhere near our homes, and we’re gonna be stuck here until late in the evening. Plus, I’m really hungry.” 

Which is how Donghyuck ends up at a nearby coffee shop fighting with Mark over who was going to be buying what. Mark wanted to pay for everything, but there was no way Donghyuck was going to let him do that. If Mark paid for everything then this would just feel like some impromptu date and it was definitely not a date in Donghyuck’s mind, no way! They spend most of the time just chatting about general things and goofing around until Mark nearly spits his drink out and Donghyuck ends up laughing loudly, both of them being shushed by a nearby customer. 

“Alas, once again my loud mouth gets us in trouble” Donghyuck mutters embarrassedly, but loud enough for Mark to hear. 

“Ignore them. You were just happy and excited. It’s cute!” 

“Mark Lee thinks I’m cute?” Donghyuck asks, jokingly placing his hand over his chest. 

“N-no! I said you being happy was cute. There’s a difference!” Mark stutters out, a light blush appearing on his face. 

“Come on, what else do you find cute about me?” 

“Are we really doing this?” 

“Of course! My ego needs this!” Donghyuck exclaims and has Mark laughing at him again. 

By the time they leave the coffee shop, Donghyuck has managed to get Mark’s number with the promise that he’d message him that night. As they were stood waiting for Donghyuck’s parents to arrive, Donghyuck had to keep pinching himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. 

“We can give you a ride home if you need it” Donghyuck offers. 

“It’s fine. My dad’s office is just a short walk away and I’ll hang out with him for a bit.” 

“You sure? We’re going to visit my nan and I’d really like to delay that visit as long as possible!” Donghyuck explains and Mark huffs out a little laugh. 

With as close as they are standing, it would be so easy for Donghyuck to tiptoe slightly and kiss Mark. It was so tempting, especially with how Mark was glancing down at him. Before he could act on any impulse however, the sound of a car horn has them jumping away from each other as Donghyuck’s parents pull up in their car. Shooting a quick goodbye to Mark, Donghyuck jumps into the car, trying to fight the blush on his cheeks. 

“Who’s that little buddy of yours Donghyuck?” Taeyong teases, fighting back a laugh. 

“If you ever want your ankle to heal, I would shut up now” Donghyuck threatens and Taeyong finally starts laughing. 

“Dude, you’ve got it bad!” Jaemin exclaims a few days later, Renjun and Jeno nodding in agreement. 

“Don’t you think I know that?” Donghyuck groans, forehead on the table. 

“Maybe it’s time you tell him how you feel” Jeno suggests, four pairs of eyes staring at him. “What? He should totally do it!” 

“Of course Jeno. Let me tell the straight guy I have a massive crush on him and have my heart broken when he rejects me.” 

“That may not be the case” Renjun pipes up from his seat. “Think about it; Mark voluntarily walks you home in the rain, he takes you out for coffee and food, and gives you his number that same day. You’ve been messaging each other constantly and I’ve even had Lucas tell me how Mark won’t shut up about you!” 

Donghyuck didn’t want to hope that this was the sign he needed… but he also really wanted it to be the sign he needed to finally tell Mark how he felt. 

“But what if I do tell him and he rejects me?” Donghyuck whines. 

“Then we’ll be here with ice cream and cuddles to make you feel better and forget about him” Jaemin offers and Donghyuck accepts the offer with a pout on his lip. 

The idea of telling Mark how he felt took up Donghyuck’s thoughts the entire day. He couldn’t concentrate in any of his lessons and if it wasn’t for his friends, he was sure he would have been sat in detention by the end of the day. Taking his usual walk back to the subway, Donghyuck rounds a corner and spots Mark ahead of him. Just as he’s about to call out to him, Donghyuck freezes when he watches a girl run up to Mark and throw her arms around him and he happily hugs her back. To add insult to injury, Mark then wraps an arm around her shoulder, and she wraps her arms around his waist, leaving Donghyuck to laugh bitterly as they walked down the road together. 

It’s a miracle that the tears don’t start falling until Donghyuck reaches his house and he slams the door shut behind him. He completely ignores Doyoung and Ten who are in the kitchen grabbing some food and throws himself down on the sofa next to Taeyong, hugging his arm tightly. 

“Guys fucking suck!” he bites out through tears as Taeyong breaks off a piece of chocolate to give to him. 

“Tell me about it” he sighs, running his hand through Donghyuck’s hair and letting the latter cry silently next to him. 

“Wow… that actually happened?” 

Donghyuck had only mentioned part of the story to his friends over their group chat, leaving them to spend the whole weekend trying to guess what had happened. 

“Good thing I didn’t embarrass myself and tell him before he bumped into his girlfriend” Donghyuck manages to laugh out, stabbing his lunch with his chopsticks. 

“How about this; after school, we’ll go out to the arcade, try and win some rubbish toys, then go to Baskin Robbins and each as much as we can until we’re sick. Screw Mark, we’ll cheer you up in no time!” 

They stay out later than usual, and after a very panicked call from him mum, Donghyuck’s running to the subway to catch the next ride home. By the time he’s on the platform, he has about two minutes to wait and he’s bent over desperately trying to catch his breath. 

“Hey.” 

Donghyuck spares a brief glance in Mark’s direction but says nothing in return. He’s in his basketball gear, hair sticking to him, as he nervously bites his lip and shuffles from foot to foot. 

“You know, at first I believed Renjun when he told me you had dropped your phone down the toilet and that’s why you weren’t replying to my messages… but then I saw you pop up in your little group chat, and now I think you’re ignoring me.” 

“Maybe you should take that as a hint” Donghyuck replies curtly, eyes focused forward and on the tracks. 

“Have I done something to upset you?” Mark asks making Donghyuck laugh. 

“You could have just told me you weren’t interested… or that you didn’t lean that way” he replies, finally looking at the other. “You didn’t have to leave it until I caught you with your girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend? Is this what all of this is about? Donghyuck it’s not-”

“Look it was bad enough finding out you didn’t like me like that. Don’t patronise me. I saw you laughing with her, wrapping your arm around her, I get it. This conversation is now over, so just… just leave me alone!” 

At that moment their subway train pulls into the station and Donghyuck jumps on the second the doors open. Mark stands there shocked for a second before getting on himself. Instead of sitting next to Donghyuck like he usually did, he sat down the other side of the carriage and gave Donghyuck what he wanted- to be left alone. Donghyuck spends the ride home listening to music and fighting the urge to glance Mark’s way. Even when they both get off at their stop, he rushes ahead so that he doesn’t have to spend even a moment in Mark’s proximity. He spends the walk to his place fighting back tears and doesn’t even protest when his mum threatens to ground him for coming home so late. 

“Tell me again why we’re spending a Saturday stalking our friends?” Donghyuck asks, trailing behind Renjun as they follow Jeno and Jaemin through the shopping centre. 

“Because, my dear Hyuck, Jaemin had only asked Jeno to join him today” Renjun replies, “Which can mean one of two things; they either don’t want to be our friends anymore, or Jaemin finally manned the fuck up and asked Jeno out.” 

“Okay… I can accept that. But why is he here?” Donghyuck asks, pointing back to Lucas. 

“He wanted to spend some time with me… I couldn’t say no. Now hurry up you two, we’re losing them!” 

After nearly being caught twice and nearly running into two old ladies, Lucas dragged Donghyuck and Renjun to a nearby café and forced them to sit down before they got kicked out. Ironically, Jeno and Jaemin had decided to have lunch at the pizzeria right across from them. 

“Are they holding hands or not?” Donghyuck asks as Renjun look out from the menu they were hiding behind. 

“I can’t tell. Jaemin’s stupid plate is in the way!” he hisses, both of them jumping when Lucas slams the tray with their drinks down in front of them. 

“You two really need to get a life” he says, sliding Donghyuck’s milkshake over to him and yanking the menu away from the two friends. 

“Look, we have been waiting for this to happen for years!” Donghyuck replies “Jaemin has had this crush for so long that even his mum is getting tired of hearing about it!” 

Lucas rolls his eyes and leaves them to what it was they were doing. He hears someone shout his name and when Donghyuck looks over, spots the girl who he saw with Mark. 

“Who’s she?” Renjun asks. 

“Seulgi, captain of the girls’ basketball team” Lucas replies, waving to his friend. “That must be her girlfriend with her, she’s mentioned her so many times before, but we’ve never actually met her.” 

“Wait. Girlfriend?” Donghyuck asks, nearly choking on his drink. 

“Yeah… why?” 

It takes Donghyuck exactly five seconds to process everything before he’s cursing at himself with his head in his hands. “Oh my God… I’m such a fucking idiot!” he cries. 

“What’s wrong?” 

“I’m such an idiot… I didn’t give him a chance to explain and now-”

“Donghyuck!” Renjun shouts, snapping him out of his freak out. “Calm down and tell us what’s going on.” 

Taking a deep breath, Donghyuck calms himself down before telling Renjun and Lucas everything that had happened. From the day he had seen Mark with Seulgi to the day of their little argument on the subway. By the end of his explanation, he was close to crying. 

“There’s still a way to fix this” Lucas says as Renjun laughs at him. 

“Is that really all you have to say?” he asks incredulously. 

“Look, Mark is someone who never stays mad at anyone for too long. Especially Donghyuck. Just explain what happened, apologise, and he’s sure to forgive you.” 

“You weren’t there when I accused him like that. He probably hates me and will never speak to me again!” Donghyuck exclaims. 

“Do you still like him?” Lucas asks. 

“I really don’t get how this is-”

“Do you still like him?” Lucas asks again. 

“… Of course. More than anyone else I’ve ever liked before.” 

“So trust me when I say that he still likes you just as much. I’ve never seen him so caught up over someone before. He’ll forgive you if you talk to him.” 

“Alright then Sherlock, what’s your brilliant plan to get them together?” Renjun asks and this was when a smirk appeared on Lucas’ face. He had one idea in mind. 

On the day of the basketball final, Lucas had asked Renjun to invite all of his friends to come and watch. It was why Donghyuck was stood outside the basketball court with Jeno and Jaemin. Neither of them indicated whether it was a date they were on, and it frustrated Donghyuck so much. 

“Sorry I’m late!” Renjun calls as he jogs over to his friends, handing Donghyuck a jacket. “Here, put this on.” 

Donghyuck takes the jacket and turns it around, eyes widening when he sees the name on the back. “Are you serious?” 

“Lucas told me it was all part of his plan. Plus, he worked hard to sneak it out without Mark noticing. Quit whining and just put the bloody thing on.” 

Reluctantly, Donghyuck puts the jacket on and relishes at how comfy it feels and how much it smells of Mark. Satisfied, Renjun leads his friends into the court and they find some seats at the back. Some of the school’s supporters notice Donghyuck wearing Mark’s jacket and begin whispering amongst themselves. 

“Ignore them and just focus on the game” Renjun says to him and Jeno links arms with him as both teams run onto the court for their warmups. 

Lucas instantly spots Renjun and excitedly waves at him. It doesn’t take long for Donghyuck to spot Mark, warming up alongside his teammates, and he can’t take his eyes off of him. Whatever Lucas has planned, Donghyuck hopes it’s nothing too embarrassing. The game starts and nothing exciting really happens for the most part. The score stays equal and there’s not much action. There is a moment where Mark is knocked to the floor and lands pretty hard on his side. Supporters begin to boo the opposing team, and Donghyuck nearly cuts off the circulation to Jeno’s hand he’s gripping it so hard. 

When Mark eventually gets back up, the supporters begin to cheer and Donghyuck finally releases Jeno’s hand from his vice grip. After that incident, the team seems to come alive and scores points in quick succession. Mark even ends up scoring and Donghyuck swears that he’s cheering the loudest in the entire court. The game ends and Mark’s team are crowned champions for the third year running. 

“Come on, let’s go!” Renjun shouts over the cheers, trying to pull Donghyuck out of his seat. 

“You go. I’ll stay here” Donghyuck replies, and watches his friends run down to the court to join the celebrations. He doesn’t even gag when Renjun runs to Lucas and plants the biggest kiss he can manage. Mark’s not in the middle of the celebrations. When Donghyuck finally finds him, he’s sitting on the bench holding his side, looking for someone who doesn’t seem to be there. 

There was no way in which Donghyuck couldn’t avoid the after party. Even Lucas had come over and practically forced him to come along. Which was why he found himself in the corner of some teammates garden whilst music blasted out and people he had never met before were laughing and cheering. Renjun’s already mixing in with everyone else and Donghyuck’s trying to see where Jeno and Jaemin ran off to before someone sneaks up behind him, turning him around. 

“He’s over there Romeo” Lucas says, pointing in the direction of where Mark was standing. “Don’t screw this up!” and with a pat on the back, Lucas gives him a gentle shove and sends Donghyuck on his way. It’s a good thing that Mark isn’t looking in Donghyuck’s direction when he walks over. It gives Donghyuck a second to relax before finally mustering the courage to say something. 

“H-how’s your side?” he asks and watches Mark tense for a second. 

“It’s bruised and still a little sore, but I’ve had worse” he replies, turning to face Donghyuck and smiling when his eyes land on his jacket. “So that’s where it went.” 

“This was all Renjun and Lucas’ fault. I was just merely a pawn in their plan to come along and watch you play. You were amazing by the way, and that asshole should have gotten sent off. I’m also really sorry for how I treated you I should have never assumed you were dating Seulgi and I’m such a jerk I know and-”

Donghyuck’s rambling stops when Mark grabs his face and pulls him in for a kiss. It’s short and sweet, but it leaves Donghyuck breathless. “Don’t worry, I forgave you the day you shouted at me on the subway.” 

“Oh” is all Donghyuck manages to get out before Mark pulls him in for another, much longer kiss. 

“Come on, let’s get out of here” Mark says when he breaks the kiss, taking Donghyuck’s hand and leading him towards the exit. 

“Aren’t you gonna stay for the party?” Donghyuck asks. 

“Nah. I’ve been to two of these already. Plus the others are never gonna let me live this down if they catch us like this.”

Laughing, Donghyuck lets Mark lead him out of the garden and down the road before realising he was still wearing Mark’s jacket. “Here, you can have this back” he says, unzipping the jacket before Mark’s hands stop him. 

“Keep it. It’s your now” he says, zipping the jacket back up and kissing Donghyuck on the forehead. 

Donghyuck briefly stands there in disbelief, watching as Mark walks ahead before running and tackling him into a hug, both of them laughing as they carry on walking down the road hand in hand. 

Donghyuck sees him every morning on his travels to school. They take the same subway line and get off at the same stop. This time however, they stand together instead of standing four seats apart. This time they take the escalator together, holding hands so that they don’t lose each other in the commuter rush. When Donghyuck has to wait to cross the street, Mark is waiting with him and holding his hand. 

“Wanna come over to mine tonight? Mum and dad are out with their friends and Taeyong’s going out on this blind date his friends set him up on.” 

“Pizza and Netflix?” Mark asks as they stop at the crossroads leading to their schools. 

“You read my mind” Donghyuck replies, slightly tiptoeing to kiss Mark goodbye. “See you around five.” 

Donghyuck turns in the direction of his school and Mark carries on in the direction of his. Donghyuck walks along humming happily to himself before catching Jeno and Jaemin kissing outside of the school gates. 

“I knew it!” he shouts, running to catch up to them. “I knew it!” 

This is how Donghyuck’s new routine goes. He wouldn’t have it any other way. 

(- Turns out on the day his friends were stalking them, Jaemin had manned up and finally asked Jeno out.   
\- Taeyong’s friends had set him up on a blind date with the captain of Mark’s basketball team. Donghyuck is dismayed at the thought of having to watch his boyfriend’s basketball games with his brother.   
\- In a dramatic turn of events, Jeno’s team would go on to win the championship next season. They would beat Mark’s team in the final. It all accumulates to Mark telling Donghyuck that he loves him for the first time… but that’s another story for another time.)

**Author's Note:**

> I sooooo wanted to base the ending on the ending of A Cinderella Story! For those who have never watched it, I suggest you go watch this cinematic masterpiece ASAP! Or you know... you could just look up the ending on Youtube... 
> 
> Oh, that little bit at the end where I mentioned Mark saying he loved Donghyuck for the first time? I could be tempted to write a mini sequel about it... if enough people wanted one... maybe... 
> 
> FINALLY! Stay safe and healthy everyone! And remember to stay inside!!


End file.
